


I've Got You

by MagpieMorality



Series: Writepie Prompt Fills [13]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Bonding, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, TLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22800757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality
Summary: For this prompt:"Dee being self preservation in caring for Patton"Canon setting. Thomas has been working on accepting all his sides equally and with that they’re getting to do their proper functions rather than the more negative ones some of them had fallen into. Deceit’s main role as self-preservation is finally being fulfilled to his satisfaction. With a brand new image and a flourishing sense of protectiveness, he is ready to help the last side come to terms with the new world order.
Relationships: Morality | Patton Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Series: Writepie Prompt Fills [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638634
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	I've Got You

**Author's Note:**

> For this prompt:
> 
> "Dee being self preservation in caring for Patton"
> 
> Canon setting. Thomas has been working on accepting all his sides equally and with that they’re getting to do their proper functions rather than the more negative ones some of them had fallen into. Deceit’s main role as self-preservation is finally being fulfilled to his satisfaction. With a brand new image and a flourishing sense of protectiveness, he is ready to help the last side come to terms with the new world order.

It was time. Everything was in place and the plan was going to go off without a hitch, Deceit was sure of it. Thomas had been primed; the sides were all hanging out in the living room upstairs, and even Remus was working well with Roman again these days. 

The shift had taken a not-inconsiderable amount of work over the last few months. Logan and Roman had been easy to get adjusted to the new way of things, but Virgil? That had been tough. Especially because he looked so instinctively to Patton for guidance and Patton was struggling so much himself. 

But now the final steps were going to be taken, and peace would reign in Thomas’s mind. 

Dee fidgeted with his new waistcoat, pulling the suit jacket over it and smiling at his reflection in the mirror. Far less Disney villain and far more high-powered professional. Even his scales were looking less monstrous and more magical than before, and he really had to remember to thank Thomas in person for the shift in image, because they’d itched like crazy before. 

Upstairs Roman, Virgil and Remus were tangled together on one side of the sectional watching Moana, with Logan busy working at the table but angled so he could see the screen, and Patton flitting between the other side of the couch and the kitchen where he was not quite baking. As in; he had the ingredients out but they hadn’t moved in almost fifteen minutes. 

When Dee popped up beside him as he wrung his hands over the flour he jumped, squeaking in surprise before pasting on a wan smile. 

“Goodness gracious, you surprised me!” He laughed, but his eyes wouldn’t quite meet Dee’s. “Would you like a cup of tea? I have some great infusions Logan found me- you would not be- _leaf_ the flav-” 

“Patton, stop.” It was gentle and quiet, but the words seemed to hit Patton like a truck. He flinched, glancing out at the next room before finally, _finally_ meeting Dee’s eyes. “Come on, let’s do this upstairs.” 

“But the kiddos-”

“Are all well-adjusted adults and will be fine without you. Come.” He held a hand out, and Patton cooed at the buttery soft suede glove before hesitantly taking it. 

They whisked upstairs to Patton’s room, where Deceit took a seat on the bed and Patton just… stood there anxiously. The sight made Deceit sigh, but he had to stick to the plan despite any frustrations he might have, because it would be worth it. Not just for him- for _everyone_. 

“Really I don’t know what we need to talk about that can’t be said in front of the others, this is very strange!” Patton spoke to break the silence, still smiling nervously. 

“I need you to listen, to me. For once, though I know it’s still hard for you, will you?” 

Patton’s eyes darted around, searching for support and finding none. “I… suppose I can do that,” he agreed, rubbing the back of his neck and picking up a plushie to hug protectively. The sight made Deceit smile, and he patted the bed next to him until the other side took the hint and perched beside him. 

“You’re at risk, Morality. No, don’t interrupt me- you said you would listen. And I’m not lying to you- we’re changed now, or changing still, and that’s a _good_ thing, alright? Don’t they all seem happier, downstairs? Doesn’t it feel calm? The only problems I can detect right now come from you.” Patton stiffened but didn’t say anything and Deceit carried on gamely. 

“I know you’re trying, I can see you trying, but you’re going about this all wrong. No one wants you to force yourself to make everything okay- everything just _is_ okay, and that’s… okay! You’re starting to separate yourself out and it’s putting strain on Thomas. What we need from you, really need, is for you to just give yourself a break.”

“What?” Patton looked at him in total confusion. Deceit’s face remained serious as Patton searched it for any hints of a trick. 

“You need to give yourself a break. We’ve been over this time and time again but it’s not quite sunk in yet, right?” He tentatively touched Patton’s hand. “Let yourself just be. It’s… okay to be who you are.” Patton lifted his free hand to his mouth, eyes glistening. “I mean, I hated who I was to you all, to Thomas, for years! But now… he knows me. And he loves me anyway. If I can have that, why can’t you?”

Patton wiped a hand under his eyes quickly and stared at his knees. “But I’m supposed to be the one who looks after them, if they don’t need me then what’s my j-”

“Says who?” 

“What?”

“Who says you’re supposed to do _anything_? Except, well, you? We have roles to fulfil, sure, but they’re not _jobs_. We don’t have job descriptions and targets to meet or managers to please. What we do is just who we are. Trying to be something else is… well it’s lying. And, regardless of _my_ feelings on the matter, I know how you feel about that,” he attempted a little smile, nudging Patton’s shoulder with his own and squeezing his hand. 

He wasn’t prepared for the sudden lapful of teary side that he got in response, but he rolled with it, scooting back on the bed and cradling Patton tenderly, stroking his hair. “You’re Morality. You know what’s right and what’s wrong for Thomas; you’re his compass. But, and this is me saying this as our self-preservation, you don’t get to decide he’s a _bad person_ for doing the wrong thing sometimes. You don’t get to tell any of us that we’re not doing the right thing for Thomas. You don’t manage us, that’s not on you. Leave the worrying to Virgil, and let Thomas- _gosh I can’t believe I’m saying this_ \- let Thomas make up his own mind. Just, point the way.”

Patton sniffed against his chest and Deceit internally mourned his nice new suit. Oh well. “You think you can do that, Patton? Take a little step back? Let us all get an equal seat at the table? No one needs you to be in charge, we all l- we all love you anyway.” 

“…I don’t know how not to be that way,” came the little muffled whisper. Deceit rested his cheek on the top of Patton’s head with a fond smile. 

“I’ll show you. You start by letting us all take care of _you_ for once, alright? I’m gonna bundle you right up in your onesie and we’re gonna pick your favourite blanket and go downstairs and Roman can make his hot chocolate and we’ll hang out on the couch. You can switch off for a bit, yeah? Have a night off? Call it a mini-break.”

“Yeah,” Patton agreed, lifting his head with a sniff. He managed a watery smile, and Deceit cupped his cheek gently.

“Things are gonna be different around here now. But they’ll be better. Trust me; I’d know.” 

And miracle of miracles; Patton blushed and agreed, snuggling quietly into his arms and letting out the biggest, most relieved sounding sigh Deceit had ever heard, like all the stress and tension and the entire weight of the world had just… evaporated away. 

An hour later they were all relaxing together (even Logan had deigned to join them) and Patton was curled sweetly up to his chest as Elsa sang on a snowy mountainside. 

A day later and when Thomas had a new problem to sift through they all showed up together and Patton insisted Dee take his new place by his side, only clutching at his hand once (twice, maybe three times) when he needed the support to stop himself blurting out the wrong thing. 

A week later and it was Patton, sitting with Dee in his room, that suggested it was time to find him a name. And Dee, still glowing with pride after Thomas decidedly _hadn’t_ had a crisis after doing what Patton had dubbed the wrong thing (Virgil had been most surprised of all not to be put to work after that, and had seemed delighted that he could focus all the more on pushing Thomas to learn his lines, rather than overthinking his decisions until three in the morning), had asked if Patton would like to pick. 

Yeah, things were much better now. At long last.


End file.
